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The boat had come around at last with Jay and the others on board They’d been thrilled with their footage of the barracuda--which usually left people alone, unless they had so on them that sparkled and attracted the attention of the predators Incredulous, she’d asked if they’d gotten the shots of her, floating in the water Oh, yes, they’d done so Then, seeing her face, Jay had been entirely contrite, and everyone had tripped over the to appease her for the afternoon

But in her dreams, she didn’t see Isabella as herself She saw her dead,to see, face skeletal and pocked with the ravages of the sea, bits of bone and skull peeking through deco flesh The woman stared at her as if she were the enee black shadows seemed to form, and they were made of seaweed and evil

Then she was alone on the beach at Haunt Island, and they were co after her, and she didn’t run because there was nowhere to go to escape the darkness and evil, she sier and larger and come closer and closer, and she could snant sea and she could alht before they embraced her, she aith a start

For a moment she was disoriented in the darkness of her room Then she heard a whistle fro sohter of the few drunken revelers still on the street, and her eyes adjusted to the darkness She was in her little studio roolance at the faceplate of her phone told her that it was just about 2:00 ary with herself She wasn’t afraid of ghosts or sea monsters Someone real and alive had happened upon the island A real person had killed her friends--and she just couldn’t believe it was Carlos Carlos was probably dead She hated the fact that everyone assu to protect Georgia fro to think that the killer had to have been on the island with theht that Travis was fine soia They should have looked harder for Travis that night

And yet, ould have really suspected anything? They were a large enough group They’d been enjoying the shoot, and even the pristine isolation of Haunt Island

She probably lay there for hours, and then drifted off

Vanessa’s phone rang at 8:00 a sound caused her to bolt up, and she saw the time immediately She fumbled to retrieve it from the stand next to the bed and answered breathlessly

"Yes?"

"Vanessa?"

She felt as if her heart stood still for a moment The voice sounded like that of Sean O’Hara

"Yes?"

"Are you awake? Sorry if I woke you"

He wasn’t one bit sorry, she thought

"I ake," she said So she was lying She wasn’t sure what she had said or done exactly that had seemed to raise a barrier of hostility within him--other than that she did want him to take his project and turn it to her purpose

"Ready to let ," he said Was there a touch of ht that heelse?

"Of course Anytime Does this ood as your credentials," he said flatly

"Of course Where do you want me, when, and hat equipulator and mask"

"Of course What about cameras?"

"Mine are excellent quality"

"So are mine"

"Let’s see if you know my equip to be asBut…it won’t hurt to see what you can do with a camera You never knohen you ht"

"Meet me at the dock in half an hour My dive boat is the Conch Fritter I’ll be setting her up"

"I’ll be there," she promised

For a mo at her phone He hadn’t agreed

But he hadn’t said no

And in the water, she could prove herself